tethered power

taddessi · Apr 16, 2015

In theory, would it be possibly to have say 200' of light weight wire supplying or charging the battery while flying? I realize you would be limited on coverage area but you could remain up and filming for hours. A low resistance tensioned reel could auto roll the wire on decent. Any faa regulations against something of this nature?

Meta4 · Apr 16, 2015

taddessi said:
In theory, would it be possibly to have say 200' of light weight wire supplying or charging the battery while flying?

Physics isn't going to let you get off so easily.
Here are a couple of simple questions to consider - there are several other complications but these are enough.
How long does it take you to charge your battery?
How quickly does the Inspire drain that battery?
How much would 200 ft of your charger cable weigh?

diverreb · Apr 17, 2015

And how fast will your Inspire fall when the wire gets tangled in the props..... Just a bad idea......

Paul K · Apr 17, 2015

taddessi said:
In theory, would it be possibly to have say 200' of light weight wire supplying or charging the battery while flying? I realize you would be limited on coverage area but you could remain up and filming for hours. A low resistance tensioned reel could auto roll the wire on decent. Any faa regulations against something of this nature?

Technically impossible for so many resons

Kilrah · Apr 17, 2015

That's what you use helium balloons for.

200' of cable thick enough to carry the current the I1 needs to fly with acceptable losses will weigh more than the aircraft.

Jason Mezinko · Apr 17, 2015

I think instead of trying to charge the battery, you will want to provide the power the I1 requires. I am not certain what this would be, maybe someone else can provide that info. As stated I do not believe it will be possible to charge the battery fast enough.

After the required power is known determine what gauge wire is needed and see if it will be plausible, given the weight of the wire. Also, the on-board electronics are going to come into play because of the intelligent battery. Maybe you could connect a power source and intelligent battery in parallel to "trick" the electronics.

This is just scratching the surface. Lots to consider here.

diverreb · Apr 17, 2015

Not the same thing...... That drone is specifically designed to hover in one spot, designed to be tethered, has a 10 pound payload, and I wouldn't even hazard guess as to how many thousands of dollars the unit costs....

Eagleview Drones · Apr 17, 2015

If it were possible, why would you need the battery at all? Just run it plugged in.

I'm still trying to figure out how I can use an inductive charging coil like the one in my cellphone to extend my flight times. I live near 3 nuclear power plants, and that way I wouldn't have to be so afraid of all these danged high tension power lines around here!

damoncooper · Apr 17, 2015

I've seen a DJI 72 hour endurance test video with the S1000 tethered about 6 feet off the ground so I guess in theory it's possible to power the Inspire in a similar way externally.

200ft up is another matter though.

Paul K · Apr 17, 2015

Lucan said:
It's been done by several companies. Here is just one example... http://www.droneaviationcorp.com/tethered-drone.html#

You might be right "if you have money, even miracles could be done" ,but my input to the post was based on using Inspire 1 as the the craft. The craft you are referring to is capable to lift ,I thing 10 Lb of payload.
Actually I was thinking about tethered quad , but as a safety component. ; to be used for broadcasting at the car racing events, to prevent fly away ,and prevent a harm to spectators .

BaldEagle · Apr 17, 2015

taddessi said:
In theory, would it be possibly to have say 200' of light weight wire supplying or charging the battery while flying? I realize you would be limited on coverage area but you could remain up and filming for hours. A low resistance tensioned reel could auto roll the wire on decent. Any faa regulations against something of this nature?

If someone could explain how to create a connector to the bird and what type of wire might be used, I think this is a very interesting idea. To have the craft set where it is almost directly under its wires, I think there are real applications for something like this. Certainly surveillance of one's property at a minimum, wildlife surveillance, etc. Even at 100 feet, the perspective would be unique. One could put a wifi repeater aloft, have a light shine down, etc.

The Editor · Apr 17, 2015

taddessi said:
In theory, would it be possibly to have say 200' of light weight wire supplying or charging the battery while flying? I realize you would be limited on coverage area but you could remain up and filming for hours. A low resistance tensioned reel could auto roll the wire on decent. Any faa regulations against something of this nature?

Not possible...... The battery would be destroyed pretty rapidly.
You would be discharging at much higher current than could be replenished simultaneously. Even if you could charge at the same rate or slightly less than the depletion rate the heat build up in the cells would destroy the pack.